Thursday, January 31, 2013

Syria complains to UN over Israel 'attack'

Syria has formally complained to the United Nations over a reported Israeli attack within its borders.

Syria's army said Israeli jets had targeted a military research centre north-west of Damascus on Wednesday.

It denied claims by the US and others that lorries carrying weapons bound for Lebanon were hit.
Syria has said it reserves the right to defend itself, while its allies Russia and Iran have strongly denounced the attack.

Possible targets

The Syrian army statement about
the incident, carried on state media, said Israeli fighter jets had
carried out a direct strike on a scientific research centre in Jamraya,
killing two people and wounding five.

But a US official told the BBC the target was a convoy
carrying SA-17 surface-to-air missiles. Some rebel groups have said they
targeted the Jamraya centre.
Israel has declined to comment.

The latest developments have struck a country in turmoil.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues to cling to power despite a
22-month conflict that has killed more than 60,000 people.

Analysis

Jim MuirBBC News, Beirut

Amid a welter of contradictory reports and rumours, it seems
to be established that Israel did mount a lightning air strike inside
Syria, despite complete silence from Israeli officials. That is their normal practice on such occasions.
Additionally, they know that intervening in the complex Syrian internal
conflict carries big political risks, not least being accused of teaming
up with the rebels.That is exactly what has happened, with Syria and its allies
Iran and Hezbollah saying the attack exposed complicity between Israel,
the West, and the Syrian opposition.Israel knows that intervening in such a way would be likely
to embarrass the rebels and strengthen President Assad politically.
Whatever prompted it to act must have been compelling enough to override
that consideration. Israel has made it clear that arms transfers from Syria to Hezbollah would constitute a red line. Most Western accounts believe such an arms convoy was the
target. If the Jamraya complex was instead - or also - hit, as Damascus
insists, the Israelis must have suspected that something seriously
dangerous was going on there.

Syria's foreign ministry summoned the
UN commander in the Golan to deliver its formal protest, saying Israel's
action violated the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides,
who remain technically at war.

A UN observer force
has been in place in the Golan since 1974, with the task of providing
"an area of separation and for two equal zones of limited forces and
armaments on both sides of the area".

"Syria holds Israel and those who are protecting it at the
Security Council responsible for the results of the attack and confirms
its right to defend its land and sovereignty," Syria said in a letter to
the UN, reported by state media.

But Syria itself is hardly in a position to do much, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.
Both Hezbollah and Iran are also under pressure at the
moment, and Israel's calculation must be that none of those hostile
parties has an interest in triggering a regional conflagration right
now, our correspondent says.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi condemned the
alleged air strike as an "overt assault based on the West's policy" to
undermine stability in Syria.

His deputy minister was quoted as saying the raid would have "grave consequences for [the major Israeli city of] Tel Aviv".

There were strong words from Russia, a stalwart defender of
Syria on the international diplomatic scene despite its warming trade
and economic ties with Israel.

The Russian foreign ministry said: "If this information is
confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the
territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violates the UN
Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it."

Earlier Syria's ambassador to Lebanon warned Damascus could take a "surprise" decision to retaliate.Weapons facility
The Syrian army statement said the Jamraya centre - which was
focused on "raising our level of resistance and self-defence" - was
damaged in the attack, and specifically denied reports that an arms
convoy had been hit.

Israeli media reaction

"Israel is closer today to confrontation on the northern front
more than it has been at any point since the Second Lebanon War." Alex Fishman, Yedioth Ahronoth

"It could be seen as a hint to other countries, like Turkey
and the US, that a military attack on Syria to topple the regime may be
an option." Zvi Barel, Ha'aretz

"There have been many signs in recent days that winds of war
are blowing in the north. But… an attack, which did or did not take
place, will not lead to an immediate round of combat in the north." Amir Rapaport, Ma'ariv

"If Israel acted, as foreign publications say, the ball is in
Assad's court. The problem is that in the current situation, he has no
court and does not have much to lose. A wounded lion is a dangerous
lion." Boaz Bismuth,Yisrael Hayom

It said "armed terrorist gangs" -
a term the government uses to describe rebel groups - had tried and
failed repeatedly to capture the same facility in recent months.

Some reports suggest the facility could be Syria's Scientific
Studies and Research Centre, known by its French acronym CERS, believed
to be the state organisation responsible for developing biological and
chemical weapons.

Lebanese military and internal security forces say there has
been increased activity by Israeli warplanes over Lebanon in the past
week, and particularly on Tuesday and the early hours of Wednesday
morning.

Correspondents say Israel is also concerned that Hezbollah
could obtain anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, thus strengthening
its ability to respond to Israeli air strikes.

Israel believes Syria received a battery of SA-17s from
Russia after an alleged Israeli air strike in 2007 that destroyed a
Syrian nuclear reactor near Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, analysts say.

Wednesday's reported attack came days after Israel moved its Iron Dome defence system to the north of the country.

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